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FIRE-BASED MIH-CP EMSWORLD.com | JUNE 2015 51 Norman Seals (pictured far left) participated on several panels at the MIH Summit. B eginning in January, EMS World launched a yearlong series that pro- vides readers with a road map for developing MIH-CP programs. This series will address the following topics: • Planning for rapid implementation; • Data metrics and outcome measures; • Updates on CMS Innovation Grants; • Collaborations with home healthcare; • Accreditation of MIH-CP programs; • Payer perspectives for MIH-CP services; • Choosing practitioner candidates; • Education of MIH-CP practitioners; • MIH-CP programs in rural settings; • International models of MIH-CP. This month we report from the 2015 MIH Summit held April 28 in Washington, DC. O n Tuesday, April 28, more than 200 EMS leaders gathered in Arlington, VA, for EMS World's Mobile Inte- grated Healthcare Summit, held in conjunction with the National Asso- ciation of Emergency Medical Technicians' EMS On The Hill Day. The audience heard from several leaders and inno- vators discussing topics such as the need for reim- bursement reform in EMS, how to fund MIH-CP programs and how to measure program performance. The highlight of the program came when agency representatives from a diverse group of EMS providers described how they established MIH-CP programs and what lessons they learned along the way. One of those programs i ncluded t he Da l la s Fire-Rescue Department Mobi le C om mu n it y Healthcare Program. Dallas recently com- pleted the first year of its program, which aims to reduce 9-1-1 calls for EMS services among the most frequent users. According to Dallas Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief Norman Seals, a panelist at the MIH Summit, the program exceeded expectations during its first year. "We've seen an 83.5% reduction in their 9-1-1 utilization over a year's time," Seals said of the 73 patients enrolled in the program. "We're monitoring them one year post-graduation or removal from the program, and it's sticking. It's working." Seals shared some lessons learned during the devel- opment and implementation of Dallas's program, several of which were reiterated by other speakers throughout the day. Empower the Team One of the keys to Dallas' success, Seals says, has been the autonomy given to the group of paramed- ics chosen to plan, implement and staff the Mobile Community Healthcare Program (MCHP). "One of the most critical parts in doing one of these programs is you choose the right people, you train and educate them to the best extent possible, and then you empower them to make it their own program," says Seals. In Dallas, department leaders chose five paramed- ics out of many who applied for the program; Seals described them as enthusiastic volunteers, some who MIH Summit 2015 Report Lessons learned from a fre-based MIH-CP Program By Michael Gerber, MPH, NRP Mobile Integrated Healthcare: Part 6